Where Ideas, Sectors, and Systems Converge for Impact. Connecting Ideas, Aligning Sectors. Changing Systems.
Social Innovations Journal (SIJ) is a global, open-access platform dedicated to the social innovators, entrepreneurs, practitioners, researchers, and leaders who are developing solutions to society's most pressing challenges. SIJ operates at the intersection of government, philanthropy, nonprofits, business, universities, and communities, connecting people and ideas across sectors and aligning them toward shared social impact goals, systems change, and public policy.
We Believe some of the most important knowledge about solving social challenges comes from those doing the work. By bringing together research, practice, lived experience, and policy, SIJ creates a bridge between formal academic knowledge and real-world innovation. We believe innovation happens everywhere. Knowledge should be accessible to everyone. And the best ideas should have the opportunity to influence practice, systems, and policy.
Our Mission is to identify, document, disseminate, and advance social innovations that improve lives, strengthen communities, and transform systems. We seek to:
Elevate innovative ideas informed by research, data, and practice;
Give social innovators and practitioners a platform to share what they are learning;
Connect research with real-world implementation;
Develop and advance social innovation and thought leadership;
Translate successful practices into opportunities for replication and scale; and
Inform systems change and public policy.
Our goal is not simply to publish innovative ideas. We seek to understand why an innovation works, what impact it creates, whether it is financially and operationally sustainable, and what it means for larger systems and public policy.
SIJ chronicles innovations and social enterprises addressing complex challenges across areas including social policy, health and human services, education, workforce development, leadership, human capital, community development, economic mobility, and systems change. Through publications, special editions, partnerships, and communities of practice, SIJ helps move promising solutions beyond individual organizations and communities toward broader social impact.
What Is Social Innovation?
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) describes social innovation broadly as changes in concepts, processes, products, organizations, financing, and relationships among stakeholders that address unmet social needs. At its core, social innovation is about developing new or improved ways of addressing individual and community challenges and improving people's well-being and participation in society. What distinguishes social innovation from innovation for purely economic purposes is its intentional focus on creating social value and improving the well-being of individuals and communities.